Universities targeted for cryptojacking by both hackers and students, claims IT security firm

Universities have been warned about students running cryptocurrency mining operations on academic networks as one of the key security risks targeting the sector.

According to cyber security firm Vectra, it is not just hackers targeting university systems to run cryptocurrency mining campaigns, but students looking to make extra cash by exploiting their inside access to university networks.

A new report from Vectra suggests that university IT systems are increasingly falling victim to crypto hackers. It analysed a variety of sectors, but education was the most badly affected, it claimed.

In total, Vectra explored 4.5 million connected devices and 246 organisations. On average, there were 165 infected devices and 1,403 malicious activities per 10,000 systems.

The CC activity rate among education organisations is four-times higher than the industry average

Currently, the CC activity rate among education organisations is four-times higher than the industry average. For this type of threat, the firm recorded 2,205 instances, compared to 460 detections for other sectors.

Botnet activity is also widespread in higher education, with Vectra logging 151 detections. That is five times the industry average, which is currently at 33 detections.